Like having someone watch just one episode of Doctor Who (Blink)If you have to watch just one episode of Moonlighting, watch the one about Taming of the Shrew "Atomic Shakespeare"Far from perfect, but a fun watch all the same.

At the studio, we sometimes adjust our cameras to flatter the older women. The CCU has a dial called the "detail control", basically a sharpness adjustment.

We call it "the Cybill Shepherd knob", in tribute to how much gauze or net diffusion they used to put on the lens for her close-ups. During Moonlighting, it became something of an open joke, the difference in detail levels between Bruce's and everyone else's shots, and the single shots of Cybill with the glamour effects turned up too high.

The show itself made fun of this in the Rhona Barrett episode, where Barrett the Hollywood gossip reporter, visits the set to brook a truce between David and Maddie at the same time the actors were warring in real life. Barrett knocks on Cybill's trailer door, she opens it, not wearing much makeup, all un-prepared, and, seeing the camera, suddenly holds up a ridiculously coarse handful of gauze in front of her face. I liked that she could make herself the butt of the joke, as well as Willis making fun of the toupee'.

Anyway, back to our studio: we show the lady a monitor, and I show how the "Cybill Shepherd knob" works: "This setting is for "Moonlighting"... and here, I'll turn it all the way up to "Liz Taylor's "White Diamonds" commercial".

The ladies usually ask for just a hint below the Maddie setting. But they DO appreciate the adjustments.

"Moonlighting" was actually a pretty good show, until it self-destructed. Cybil Shepherd just can't let anyone but herself be the corpse at the funeral. It happened in her comeback vehicle, "Cybil", which was probably the best American translation of "Absolutely Fabulous" you'd ever seen. The problem was everyone thought Christine Baranski was funnier than Cybil. So it died.

Security Officer: I'm sorry, but you're not on the guest list.David Addison: That's because we're not guests. We're looking for a man with a mole on his nose.Security Officer: A mole on his nose?Maddie Hayes: A mole on his nose.Security Officer: [to Maddie] What kind of clothes?Maddie Hayes: [to David] What kind of clothes?David Addison: What kind of clothes do you suppose?Security Officer: What kind of clothes do I suppose would be worn by a man with a mole on his nose? Who knows?David Addison: Did I happen to mention, did I bother to disclose, that this man that we're seeking with the mole on his nose? I'm not sure of his clothes or anything else, except he's Chinese, a big clue by itself.Maddie Hayes: How do you do that?David Addison: Gotta read a lot of Dr. Seuss.Security Officer: I'm sorry to say, I'm sad to report, I haven't seen anyone at all of that sort. Not a man who's Chinese with a mole on his nose with some kind of clothes that you can't suppose. So get away from this door and get out of this place, or I'll have to hurt you - put my foot in your face.Maddie Hayes and then David Addison : Time to go.

I loved that show. I can't believe that whole article got written without mentioning the Shakespeare episode. One of my all-time favorite hours of television. In the early days of the internet, I used it to track down some guy who had every episode of the show on VHS, sent him a blank tape, and had him copy it and send it back to me.

Bruce got more distinguished - Cybill got more like an older woman. Proof yet again - that if it floats, flies or farks - rent. Otherwise you're left with some withered gash who seems to be racing the decline of her physical beauty against the decline of her self-image AND the decline of what little personality she had to start with.

I freaking LOVED Moonlighting. As a kid, I watched every episode.Later, I got the DVD set and as awesome and fun as they are, you really have to remember what was going on DURING the time they were filming. A LOT of in-jokes that, if my daughter or son were watching them now, they wouldn't get because of certain 80's things. A lot about the "in fighting" and such.

I did notice that, ya, after they get together, not even the brilliance of Allyce Beasley and Curtis Armstrong could save it.

I loved that show back in the "80s. I worked the Midnight shift at that time, and normally would take a few hour nap before going to work. "Moonlighting" was the 1 program I would skip the nap for. Maybe I will go to Netflix and see about putting some of season 1 in my queue. Very good article about the show, also